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Feb 7, 2013
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when i joined the cia in august 1980, world events were unsettled. our embassy in teheran had been overrun the year before and 52 americans were still being held hostage by a radical new government in iran. the soviet invasion of afghanistan was less than a year old and the next decade we witnessed the slow but steady crumbling of the soviet union. weapons of mass destruction were a concern and u.s. officials were hard at work around the globe trying to prevent regional tensions and an mos if is from turning in to full-scale wars and ominously, the united states about to face an upsurge in terrorist attacks to claim hundreds of american lives in lebanon including a 49-year-old cia officer named bob ames killed in a brief visit to our embassy in beirut and who at the time was my boss at cia. during my 25-year career at cia, i watched up close and participated in history being made in far off corners of the world. as cia fulfilled the critical intelligence roles, collecting intelligence, uncovering secrets, identifying threats, partnering with foreign
when i joined the cia in august 1980, world events were unsettled. our embassy in teheran had been overrun the year before and 52 americans were still being held hostage by a radical new government in iran. the soviet invasion of afghanistan was less than a year old and the next decade we witnessed the slow but steady crumbling of the soviet union. weapons of mass destruction were a concern and u.s. officials were hard at work around the globe trying to prevent regional tensions and an mos if...
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when i joined the cia in august 1980, world events were unsettled. our embassy in teheran had been overrun the year before and 52 americans were still being held hostage by a radical new government in iran. the soviet invasion of afghanistan was less than a year old and the next decade we witnessed the slow but ste
when i joined the cia in august 1980, world events were unsettled. our embassy in teheran had been overrun the year before and 52 americans were still being held hostage by a radical new government in iran. the soviet invasion of afghanistan was less than a year old and the next decade we witnessed the slow but ste
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Feb 7, 2013
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drone policy and president obama's mick to head the cia readies to testify this afternoon on capitol hill, calls for greater transparency and legal justification for the killings have increased. the outcry reached a crescendo on monday when nbc's michael isikoff obtained a leaked white pair from the government suggesting that the u.s. government can kill american set zenz overseas without any specific intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the u.s. the expansive legal framework set off alarm bells. >> every american has the right to know when their government believes it's allowed to kill them. i don't think that as one person said, that is too much to ask. >> the "new york times" wrote "it was disturbing to see the twisted logic of the administration's lawyers laid out in black and white. it brought back unwelcome memories of memos written for president george w. bush to justify illegal wiretapping, indefinite detention, kidnapping, abuse, and torture. "time's" writer david carr put it more success iktly. drones, very effective at targeting and wiping o
drone policy and president obama's mick to head the cia readies to testify this afternoon on capitol hill, calls for greater transparency and legal justification for the killings have increased. the outcry reached a crescendo on monday when nbc's michael isikoff obtained a leaked white pair from the government suggesting that the u.s. government can kill american set zenz overseas without any specific intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the u.s. the expansive...
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Feb 5, 2013
02/13
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john brennan faces his confirmation hearing to be the head of the cia on thursday this week. he will face questions from senators on the senate intelligence committee who will presumably ask him about his time in the cia of yore under george w. bush and his time as the face of the drone program under president barack obama. one of the senators who sits on the intelligence committee is going to get a chance to question john brennan is oregon democrat john wyden, who is a bit of a contrarian on the issues. he recently wrote a letter to john brennan asking for answers of his own about targeted killing and why it's justified and how it's justified. the questions themselves are so basic that they are almost more telling than some of the answers they could but probably won't receive. questions like, for example, how much evidence does the president need to determine that a particular american can be lawfully killed? also, this is one that sticks with me, does the president have to provide individual americans with the opportunity to surrender before killing them? sand are there any
john brennan faces his confirmation hearing to be the head of the cia on thursday this week. he will face questions from senators on the senate intelligence committee who will presumably ask him about his time in the cia of yore under george w. bush and his time as the face of the drone program under president barack obama. one of the senators who sits on the intelligence committee is going to get a chance to question john brennan is oregon democrat john wyden, who is a bit of a contrarian on...
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Feb 9, 2013
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leon panetta when he was head of the cia was clear that it is torture and the u.s. does not engage in torture. while there is a continuation of policies related to drones and targeted assassinations, i don't think that there is necessarily a continuation of or ttorture. >> well, the debate we are not having is what are the contours of this, and if we want to win hearts and minds to go back to a vietnam plauz, what are thrase, the contours of this? will it expand and come back to hit us in a strong way? >> as someone who knows the pro and con intell and we send people into the area to make people suspicious of each other, and killed people in a domestic sphere, aed on the know the ugliness and the nastiness of that and the ways in which have sat over and against any american notice that we are not the kind of country that does that, but to get on the other side of co-intel to say i need that to be reflected in the 21st history. >> and to that, brennan was the architect of the waterboarding program or in the testimony he said he was aware of at least 50 memos that it
leon panetta when he was head of the cia was clear that it is torture and the u.s. does not engage in torture. while there is a continuation of policies related to drones and targeted assassinations, i don't think that there is necessarily a continuation of or ttorture. >> well, the debate we are not having is what are the contours of this, and if we want to win hearts and minds to go back to a vietnam plauz, what are thrase, the contours of this? will it expand and come back to hit us in...
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Feb 8, 2013
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. >>> now back to southern washington, john brennan, president obama's choice to lead the cia in the second term, was grilled by both democrats and republicans at a confirmation hearing today, one that got off to a raucous start, with protesters and questions about the agency's controversial drone program and interrogation program. nbc's andrea mitchell covering in our washington newsroom. andrea, it's not every day you hear the order to have the hearing room cleared. >> reporter: not indeed. in fact, the senate historians said they can't recall this happening going back to the '60s and '70s. today a chastened john brennan programs promised to be open with congress if he is confirmed to lead the cia. even as the white house still limited access to key documents in a hearing that did not get off to a smooth smart. >> members of the committee, i'm honored to appear before you today. [ heckling ] [ banging gavel ] >> please remove this woman. we will recess. >> reporter: when john brennan did get to testify, he said he opposed the harsh interrogations during the bush administration when
. >>> now back to southern washington, john brennan, president obama's choice to lead the cia in the second term, was grilled by both democrats and republicans at a confirmation hearing today, one that got off to a raucous start, with protesters and questions about the agency's controversial drone program and interrogation program. nbc's andrea mitchell covering in our washington newsroom. andrea, it's not every day you hear the order to have the hearing room cleared. >>...
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Feb 6, 2013
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more than 400 cia strikes against targets in pakistan and yemen. eight times as many as under president bush. >> they have been very precise, precision strikes against al qaeda and their affiliates. >> these strikes are legal. they are ethical. and they are wise. >> reporter: but today, new questions about drone strikes targeting american citizens, including anwar al awlaki. born in new mexico and killed in yemen in 2011. he allegedly directed the so-called underwear bomber, who tried to blow up an airliner over detroit in 2009. but awlaki was never charged with a crime. nbc news has obtained this confidential 16-page justice department memo that concludes lethal strikes against u.s. citizens who are operational leaders of al qaeda are a lawful act of national self-defense. >> we only take these kinds of actions when there's an imminent threat, when capture is not feasible, and when we are confident that we're doing so in a way that's consistent with federal and international law. >> reporter: but the memo appears to allow greater leeway than the a
more than 400 cia strikes against targets in pakistan and yemen. eight times as many as under president bush. >> they have been very precise, precision strikes against al qaeda and their affiliates. >> these strikes are legal. they are ethical. and they are wise. >> reporter: but today, new questions about drone strikes targeting american citizens, including anwar al awlaki. born in new mexico and killed in yemen in 2011. he allegedly directed the so-called underwear bomber,...
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john brennan was once the deputy cia director. he is now president obama's counterterrorism director at the white house. but if he is to run the cia for president obama, john brennan is first going to have to face questions on thursday about some of what michael isikoff turned up here on this program last night. a justice department white paper elaborating the administration's reasoning for why it thinks it is legal to kill american citizens on the president's say so. or actually, on the say so of an informed high level official of the u.s. government. so maybe that's the president, but maybe that's somebody else. michael isikoff's scoop ended up at "the new york times" today and "the washington post" and "the hill" and slate and salon and ap to name a few. it was everywhere. and then at a press conference today, the attorney general was asked about it. >> last night nbc reported a white paper that was prepared by the justice department undated, unsigned about the legal -- the legal pinnacles for targeting americans overseas. coul
john brennan was once the deputy cia director. he is now president obama's counterterrorism director at the white house. but if he is to run the cia for president obama, john brennan is first going to have to face questions on thursday about some of what michael isikoff turned up here on this program last night. a justice department white paper elaborating the administration's reasoning for why it thinks it is legal to kill american citizens on the president's say so. or actually, on the say so...
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Feb 7, 2013
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john brennan promised to be open to congress if he is confirmed to lead the cia. even as the white house still limited access to key documents in a hearing that did not get off to a smooth smart. >> members of the committee, i'm honored to appear before you today. [ heckling ] >> polilease remove this woman. we will recess. >> reporter: when john brennan did get to testify, he said he opposed the harsh interrogations during the bush administration when he was at the cia. even though in 2007, brennan said those enhanced interrogation techniques, known as eits, including waterboarding, saved lives. >> what steps did you take to stop the cia from moving these techniques you found objectionable? >> i did not take steps. i was not in the chain of command of that program. i had expressed my personal objections and views to my agency colleagues about certain eits where i professed my personal objections to it, but i did not try to stop it. >> we have just not seen anybody who has come forward and say they heard any objections from you with respect to these programs. >> r
john brennan promised to be open to congress if he is confirmed to lead the cia. even as the white house still limited access to key documents in a hearing that did not get off to a smooth smart. >> members of the committee, i'm honored to appear before you today. [ heckling ] >> polilease remove this woman. we will recess. >> reporter: when john brennan did get to testify, he said he opposed the harsh interrogations during the bush administration when he was at the cia. even...
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protests disrupt a hearing on the subject of drones and torture and the president's pick to head the cia. >>> and the giant comeback under way in one of the most majestic places on earth. restoring the redwood forest to its old glory. "nightly news" begins now. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. and it's a busy evening on both of our coasts tonight. on the west coast in southern california, a nerve-racking and disconcerting day after three murders, two more people wounded and the word from police that one of their own, be an ex police officer, a military veteran, is targeting police officers. as a result, law enforcement there on a hair-trigger, and the state has been on alert all day. right now as we look live, the search is focused on the big bear ski area, bear mountain, in southern california. >>> now, on the east coast, preparations are under way for a potentially history-making snowstorm. along the eastern seaboard on up to new england, it's happening the way the worst of the storms happen. two systems
protests disrupt a hearing on the subject of drones and torture and the president's pick to head the cia. >>> and the giant comeback under way in one of the most majestic places on earth. restoring the redwood forest to its old glory. "nightly news" begins now. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. >>> good evening. and it's a busy evening on both of our coasts tonight. on the west coast...
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he is a veteran of the cia. a lot of people argue from inside the intelligence community that he is the perfect head of the cia because he is well respected and has, you know, a life-long career there. he is very close to the president. and you can really see the body language when the president was nominating him, just how close they are. this is a friendship. this is not just a working relationship. so it will certainly enhance the cia's clout inside the white house to have him as the head of it. there is a very highly regarded acting director, mike morel, who could have been nominate in order post as well, and is staying at the agency. so the agency is in very familiar hands right now while we go through this process. but this hearing, remember, is in front of the intelligence committee. ron wyden is something of an outlier in that the intelligence committees are pretty much very much in sync with what the administration warrants on the war on terror. this is the first real rebellion. >> fascinating stuff. i
he is a veteran of the cia. a lot of people argue from inside the intelligence community that he is the perfect head of the cia because he is well respected and has, you know, a life-long career there. he is very close to the president. and you can really see the body language when the president was nominating him, just how close they are. this is a friendship. this is not just a working relationship. so it will certainly enhance the cia's clout inside the white house to have him as the head of...
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the plan had received support from the pentagon, the cia, secretary clinton. but ultimately it was the white house that turned down the idea. >> both of you agreed with petraeus and clinton that we should start looking at military assistance in syria, is that correct? >> that was our position. i do want to say, senator, that obviously there were a number of factors that were reversed here that ultimately led to the president's decision to make it nonlethal. i supported his decision in the end. but the answer to your question is yes. >> for both of you? >> yes. >> "the wall street journal" says the white house was concerned about which rebels could be trusted with arms. was also worried about the risk of drawing the united states into another military conflict. but it was questions over benghazi that led to the most heated moments with secretary panetta and general dempsey defending the administration's response to the deadly raid on the u.s. consulate. >> for you to testify that our posture would not allow a rapid response, our posture was not there because we
the plan had received support from the pentagon, the cia, secretary clinton. but ultimately it was the white house that turned down the idea. >> both of you agreed with petraeus and clinton that we should start looking at military assistance in syria, is that correct? >> that was our position. i do want to say, senator, that obviously there were a number of factors that were reversed here that ultimately led to the president's decision to make it nonlethal. i supported his decision...
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voice, the primary voice of restraint and has advocated for moving the drone strike policy from the cia more to the military and if it was under the us a passes of the military it would require greater transparency. of course, he's going to be there toeing the president's line, the administration's line. it will be interesting to see if there's hints of the desire to move it more to the military from the cia. >> we are in a post geographical war with people that don't wear uniforms. if we don't attack them in the -- >> no one doesn't want to attack them. >> where are the limits? it has to be somebody part of al qaeda, something part of the war on terror as it's defined. there are no -- that's the problem is there are limitations. could be anybody anywhere according to this memo. >> no leg to stand on when this technology turned and used on us or allies. we will have no leg to stand on legal or otherwise. >> that's not true. that's not true at all. al qaeda attacked this nation. we are attacking al qaeda back. there's no -- >> a 16-year-old was not in al qaeda. >> hold on. but the differ
voice, the primary voice of restraint and has advocated for moving the drone strike policy from the cia more to the military and if it was under the us a passes of the military it would require greater transparency. of course, he's going to be there toeing the president's line, the administration's line. it will be interesting to see if there's hints of the desire to move it more to the military from the cia. >> we are in a post geographical war with people that don't wear uniforms. if we...
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is it the army, the cia, is it the attorney general? >> a lot of recent reporting has shown it's actually barack obama himself -- >> through the nsc. >> he is the informed high-level official -- >> does he have to give an official finding? does he have to have a finding? does he have to -- >> there's a finding that supports the policy, but i don't know that he needs -- >> does he have fingerprints when he makes one of these decisions like -- >> not public ones. in fact, they won't discuss the public -- deliberations at all. listen, until last year they wouldn't acknowledge the drone policy existed. >> can you tell from your reporting if there's any conflict of conscience within the administration or they agree we need to do this in the war we're in now? >> look at panetta's comments to chuck todd the other day on "meet the press" in which he said making these decisions about who should die and who should not, who should get targeted, were really tough ones and he agonized about that. that ought to give you a clue these are not all open
is it the army, the cia, is it the attorney general? >> a lot of recent reporting has shown it's actually barack obama himself -- >> through the nsc. >> he is the informed high-level official -- >> does he have to give an official finding? does he have to have a finding? does he have to -- >> there's a finding that supports the policy, but i don't know that he needs -- >> does he have fingerprints when he makes one of these decisions like -- >> not...
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Feb 8, 2013
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the confirmation hearings of cia director nominee john brennan got off to a rocky start today. human rights protesters from the activist group code pink interrupted the hearings before they even started. john brennan is the architect of the obama administration's drone warfare program, which includes targeted killings. once the hearing got under way, there was another disruption. the protester was escorted out. then there was another. same thing. seconds later there was another. and then another. finally, chairwoman senator dianne feinstein broke up the proceedings. >> we're going to halt the hearing. i'm going to ask that the room be cleared and that the code pink associates not be permitted to come back in. we've done this five times now and five times are enough. >> the chaos underscored the controversy of the administration's policy. many americans want to know how the united states can order the killings of american citizens without due process. earlier today the justice department provided congress with classified documents about the targeted killing program. this disclos
the confirmation hearings of cia director nominee john brennan got off to a rocky start today. human rights protesters from the activist group code pink interrupted the hearings before they even started. john brennan is the architect of the obama administration's drone warfare program, which includes targeted killings. once the hearing got under way, there was another disruption. the protester was escorted out. then there was another. same thing. seconds later there was another. and then...
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news in december two thousand and seven and i said that not only was the cia torturing prisoners but that the torture policy was an official u.s. government policy that was approved at the very top by the president of the united states himself the cia filed what's called a crimes report against me the next day with the justice department the justice department never stopped investigating me from december of two thousand and seven until i was finally arrested in january of two thousand and twelve so to say that this the disk. case is a result of a name that was found in a in an attorney's brief at guantanamo is just simply not true they were looking for something that they were going for something to pin on me what i find most gracious about your case is had you been actually accused of torture of human rights violations you wouldn't have gone to jail know. they they would dismiss any accusation because the u.s. government has classified everything related to its torture practices but yet you go to prison because he talked about it why do you think this administration president obama
news in december two thousand and seven and i said that not only was the cia torturing prisoners but that the torture policy was an official u.s. government policy that was approved at the very top by the president of the united states himself the cia filed what's called a crimes report against me the next day with the justice department the justice department never stopped investigating me from december of two thousand and seven until i was finally arrested in january of two thousand and...
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he was told we are the cia. he said i will tell you anything you want to know. >> the cartoonish version of it is let me tell you who we are. i heard about you. he was actually cooperative. >> just the existence. >> yes. back to the ambiguity. one thing that does come across in the movie, but you have to watch it very carefully, the most powerful tool we had in every interrogation we conducted was our knowledge. not one or another technique. >> once you got through the enhanced interrogation process then the real interrogation began, the debriefing. that is with the skill and knowledge with the people who were conducting the sessions. the knowledge base was so good that these people knew that we were not going to be fooled. we had other prisoners in our sights. we would be able to check information against others. they knew that. we mentioned the takedown. they did not know how much khalid sheikh mohammed had told us about $50,000. we would go and give him what we have heard from khalid sheikh mohammed and he th
he was told we are the cia. he said i will tell you anything you want to know. >> the cartoonish version of it is let me tell you who we are. i heard about you. he was actually cooperative. >> just the existence. >> yes. back to the ambiguity. one thing that does come across in the movie, but you have to watch it very carefully, the most powerful tool we had in every interrogation we conducted was our knowledge. not one or another technique. >> once you got through the...
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>> mostly movies about the cia, they have the cia guy a deranged assassin. what we're hoping is we're going to start a new trend and make the cia guys loveable. i'm the first loveable spy. >> this retired spy now lives in the blue ridge mountains of maryland trading the art of deception for a different kind of art. he now paints full time. his wife is a photographer, a spy, too. >> i was at cia for 27 years. i worked in the office of technical service where tony worked. if you needed very special photography cameras concealed in all kinds of things -- >> like what? >> buttons, writing pens, key fobs, perfume atomizers. lipsticks. we were the gadget people. we supported operations around the world. >> i've heard one of your favorite things is when people thank you for your service? >> it's what you do, keep the world safe. people recognize that. that's a good thing. >> no one is thanking you for your service when you work at cia. they don't even know you work at cia. so after the fact to have someone walk up, it is, it brings tears to my eye. >> today mendez'
>> mostly movies about the cia, they have the cia guy a deranged assassin. what we're hoping is we're going to start a new trend and make the cia guys loveable. i'm the first loveable spy. >> this retired spy now lives in the blue ridge mountains of maryland trading the art of deception for a different kind of art. he now paints full time. his wife is a photographer, a spy, too. >> i was at cia for 27 years. i worked in the office of technical service where tony worked. if you...